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This election, only one thing matters

This election, only one thing matters. The only question that matters in this election is this: Which candidate will absolutely guarantee we preserve a constitutional republic with democratic liberties after taking the oath of office on January 20, 2015? Kamala Harris or Donald Trump? The peaceful transfer of power is essential to democracy. Donald Trump tried to block the peaceful transfer of power by attempting to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. In addition, we will never be able to calculate the damage done by his autocratic mismanagement of COVID, ...

The Pajama Factory: Setting the record straight

It is time for us to emphasize, from our perspective, what we feel is accurate about the situation we are facing at the Pajama Factory today. This is especially important at a time where there are sensationalized headlines and false rumors floating around. When you put your heart and money into a project like this that benefits the entire community, it is critical to ensure those in our community and in decision making positions are fully informed. We also want to apologize for the length of the following report but we feel it’s important to get as much accurate information out there ...

It’s time for a woman president

The role of women in modern American culture is way behind the rest of the world. For centuries women in other countries have been heralded as exceptional leaders and heroes: Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Queen Victoria, Eva Peron, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, and Mary Queen of Scots just to name a few. That is not to say that the USA has not had great women who did great things. They just aren’t given credit for it. Locally we have had two women who left behind admirable legacies – Jessie Bloom and Marlyne Whaley. Now don’t get me wrong. There are many American women who have ...

Unveiling the truth about human trafficking

Human trafficking is a heinous and pervasive crime that entraps an estimated 27.6 million people worldwide. Yet, it remains cloaked in misconceptions and dangerous stereotypes. Many perceive it as a problem confined to faraway countries or vulnerable individuals in major metropolitan areas. This is a dangerous fallacy. To combat trafficking, we must confront the realities of this dehumanizing crime—its methods, its victims, and its presence in communities both large and small. In Pennsylvania, human trafficking is neither rare nor limited to urban areas. It infiltrates our small ...

Obama returns to a different Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH -- When former President Barack Obama comes to Pittsburgh on Thursday to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in the home stretch for next month’s election, he will be returning to a very different western Pennsylvania from the one he won robustly in 2008 and less so in 2012. In 2008, Obama ran on a message of aspiration, using a slogan of hope and change to create a coalition of working-class white people long part of the New Deal Democrats, minorities, young people and educated professionals. In that race against Republican John McCain, he won 18 of ...

COVID-19’s shift to endemic

A couple weeks ago I started feeling stuffy and sneezing and my throat felt scratchy. I thought it was probably my normal summer allergies, which have been especially troublesome this year. But then I thought, “What if it’s not?” I had recently been in a few more public situations than usual — potential exposure; and I had some appointments coming up — better not spread it around! So, I did a COVID test and another a couple days later. Both tests were negative. That was a relief, not only because I wasn’t sick or infectious, but also because it meant I could go ahead and ...